Once Human
by Anyuna
Summary: Amy was just an ordinary girl. At least, she was until she had a run in with some mutagen and a certain group of adolecent tranformed shadow chelonians. Watch as she begins to come to turns with her new life staying in the shadows for fear of persecution.
1. Encounter With The Ooze

A/N: Hey, this is the first TMNT fanfics that I've ever written, plus the first time I've tried to write entirely in the first person POV. So any and all comments would be muchly welcome.

* * *

Amy

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEE-

_Ah, a brand new day, full of hope promise and the same old crap as yesterday._

I smash my hand down on the alarm clock and groan. I've never quite understood why I have to get up. You know – ever. Why I can't just sleep my life away, things to do I suppose. Stupid things. Wincing slightly as my feet hit the cold floor, I make my way slowly into the bathroom.

"What are you looking at?" I ask my reflection before turning away to turn on the shower and get in, the cascade of water drumming away the last of the drowsiness.

_Hey, it's Tuesday._ Today is Cameron's birthday. Cameron is one of the kids in my neighborhood. His parents are kind of poor, so I thought I would give him my little pet turtle as a present. I loved her dearly, but I knew she'd mean more to little Cam than she ever could to me.

After getting dressed and putting Alice – that's my turtle – into a little bowl, I take one last look around my apartment before leaving. It's small and crappy, but it's home. _Damn, I still haven't cleaned up those dishes, but who's going to visit, it's not like anyone will be around to notice._

I tug at the front door of Cam's apartment building, only to find it refusing to budge. Sparing a moment to read the sign that tells me the door's been nailed shut because it won't stay shut otherwise and advising me to go in by the small side entrance in the alleyway.

_Typical. Oh well, at least I still have the look on Cam's face when he gets his present to look forward to._ Unfortunately, I'm so busy thinking about this that I don't see the open manhole until it's too late. Life's full of little quirks like that.

"Ooof!"

I hit the ground. Hard. So hard, in fact, that the bowl holding Alice shatters leaving several shards of glass in my arm. Where's Alice? I hope she's alright. I just manage to just brush my good arm against the edge of her shell before she slips off into the water. At least she's probably faring better than I am at this point.

Sitting up slowly, I freeze suddenly. I'm covered in something slimy. _Please don't let that be what I think it is._ Grimacing, I look down, my eyes slowly adjusting to the light. I could see that it wasn't what I feared – this being a sewer and all – but some sort of green glowing ooze.

Just as I started to try and brush some of the gunk of me, pain lances through my entire body. Every nerve screamed in anguish and I only have time to echo that pain with my voice before darkness takes me.

* * *

"Wake up sister."

"Mnuuuuhg." I groan, trying to wave away whoever it was that spoke. Why couldn't they just leave me alone? As strange as it may seem, people have to sleep, and that includes me. I pry my eyes open, to see only blurry shapes. _Great, now I can't even see what's going on. This day just keeps on getting better._

Someone lifts my arm and I could feel them examining it while speaking again. "Who did this to you sister? Was it the humans, scum of the earth that they are?"

Still unable to focus properly and very confused, I ask, "What's going on and why do you keep calling me sister?" I try again to clearly see who was kneeling in front of me. Something about them didn't look right. _Okay, they're either wearing a really thick coat, or I'm hallucinating._

Whoever it was, they were speaking again and I hadn't noticed. "…are our brothers and sisters. Together we will rise up and overthrow those that made us what we are."

_Well, that doesn't sound good. I've been rescued by crazy visionaries. _

Finally, my eyes begin to co-operate and the creatures around me start becoming more than blobs. And creatures they were, all human sized, but the one closest to me looked more like a spider. I yelp in shock in spite of myself and try to scoot away, a small part of me noting that there were three others, a cat, a lizard and a dog. _That's it. I've lost it._

"You would refuse our hospitality?" the spider asked me, his mandibles clicking in what was probably anger. "So be it. If you are not with us, you are against us."

I watch in horror as he opens his jaws to bite me, completely unable to move. I'd really like to wake up right now. But there's no way I'm dreaming, this is way too real.

Only inches away from me, the spider suddenly gets knocked aside by some sort of stick. _What now? Okay, it's a giant turtle, riiiight. This is reality calling: would Amy please report back to the front desk to re-claim her sanity._

I watched as the turtle deals with the four that had threatened me. His skill was actually very impressive; he was beating all of them and making it look easy_. For a head trauma-induced delusion, this is pretty intense. Oh here we go, blacking out time again._

Donatello

Those Mutant Alliance idiots were no problem, in fact they had needed to be taught a lesson for some time now. They were living in the sewers same as us, but kept trying to either steal from us or drive us out. I don't think I need to mention their lack of success.

I left them to groan and sleep off various non-fatal injuries – I made sure that non-fatal ones were all there were – I went to check on whoever it was they'd been attacking.

When I saw her, my breath caught in my throat. She looked so small and fragile lying there unconscious. Bending down to make sure she was alright, I saw a small pool of blood under her left arm. There were shards of glass stuck in the flesh.

_Those will have to come out. She'll have to be brought back to the lair so I can do a proper job._

'_Of course, you would have probably brought her back even if she wasn't hurt,'_ a small treacherous part of my mind added.

I shake my head, that's not important now. I replace my bo and gently pick her up, careful not to further damage her arm. _She's so light. I'd never be able to do this with one of my brothers._

All the way back home, I can't help but wonder where she could have come from. Someone's pet that got exposed to the mutagen, I suppose.


	2. It's Not Easy Being Green

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry this took so long! dodges hail of rotten fruit Eep! The next updates won't take so long, I promise!

Shout outs!

Lunar-ninja – Hey thanks! It gets twistyer too! (hee hee, I'm making up words.)

theGiant – Sarcasm is a wonderful, wonderful thing. And I'm not sarcastic in the least about that. But I do have an apology; it does get darker near the end. Not saying how though, that would spoil the surprise!

hazlov2004 – Merci Beaucoup for the complimentary-ness!

Pacphys – Yo! And yes, another turtle. Not two. Or is there?… No, there isn't… Or am I lying?

A Salmonella Halo – Your anticipation is duly anticipated. And appreciated. And other things ending in 'ated'

Pi90katana – You know, I have you to thank most of all. After I read your review, I took a good long look at my notes and realized it got a bit Mary-Sue-ish. Now it's been re-worked and is better than ever! And about new characters taking away from the turtle boys, I know what you mean, but almost all my ideas start with a new character and I'm subject to the whims of fate. If the sequel I'm planning goes ahead, it will focus much more on the boys, so fingers crossed, kay?

Ooh, things I forgot to say last time:

1) Don't own the turtles and probably never will. I can dream though.

2) Someone's name with stars around it means that it's from their point of view.

3) Italics are thoughts.

4) Enjoy and review.

* * *

Amy 

Slowly I return to the land of the waking. When the hell did my bed get so damn uncomfortable? It's like there's a tire or something right under me, even wiggling won't shift it.

I'm gonna have to get up to find out what I'm lying on. I sigh and open my eyes only to see bricks. _Bricks? My ceiling's made of plaster. Then that means… uh-oh._

The events preceding my (multiple) blackouts slowly creep back into my mind. Did all that really happen or have I just gone crazy?

_Well, crazy or not, I have to get outta here._

I sit up, I don't seem to be hurt, but before I can do anything else though, the door opens and in comes the giant turtle.

Donatello 

The first thing I see is our mystery guest sitting up. "Oh good, you're awake." Without warning, she screams. "Hey, hey it's all right." I tell her comfortingly, but all she does is whimper and pull the covers around her.

She's obviously been through a lot and will require delicate handling. Itis at that moment that Leo comes bursting through the door, probably in response to her scream. "What's going on?" he shouts, clearly thinking we are being attacked.

Seeing him, she pulls the blanket over her head, whispering, "Please don't hurt me."

_Delicate handling. Storming into the room definitely doesn't qualify as delicate. _Out loud I say to him,"Everything's fine. Don't worry Leo, I can handle this."

Leo just nods and leaves again, closing the door behind him. When he is gone, I slowly make my way over to the bed. I hear her repeat her whispered plea and I stop moving altogether. I can hardly believe how terrified she is. Terrified of me.

Amy

"No one here is going to hurt you." I hear him say.

I peek over the top of the blanket. "How do I know you're not lying?"

I almost expect him to shout at me or something, but all he does is sigh and walk out. _What the hell is going on? _I know that he saved me, but why? And the question that begs to be answered is what will he want in return? I shudder.

The door opens again and yet another of these turtles comes in. Just how many of them are there?

He offers me a glass of what looks like water and an apple telling me, "Here. You gotta keep your strength up babe."

I don't even make a move to take them. "How do I know they're not drugged or something?" I ask suspiciously. I'm not usually so paranoid, but then, I don't usually spend time in the company of giant humanoid turtles often either.

He thinks for a moment in response to my question, then takes a huge bite out of the apple and washes it down with a gulp of the water. "You see?" he says, grinning. "There's nothing wrong with…" He stops and clutches a hand to his head dramatically. "Oh the pain! I forgot to take the antidote!"

I can't help it and smile despite myself at his antics.

He grins at me in return. "That's better. Hey what's your name?"

I almost don't tell him, but there's something about him, I don't know. I just feel like I can trust him. "It's Amy."

"And I would happen to be Michelangelo. The most handsome, talented and witty turtle alive. But you can just call me Mikey for short if you want." He hands me the apple and glass again, and I accept them this time.

_And the most egotistical I see. He seems nice enough though. And he's obviously not a crazy visionary – always a plus._

The apple gone, I am beginning to drink the water when I realize that not only has 'Mikey' not said anything – which from what I'd already seen of his personality is strange – but he's staring at me intently.

Noticing that he'd been caught, he doesn't look away or get embarrassed as I expected, but just grins cheekily and continues studying me.

_Hasn't he ever seen a girl before or something?_

I mentally shrug off that question as a more… pressing one presents itself.

"Uh Mikey, could you point me in the direction of the bathroom?"

He practically leaps from his seat. "I shall escort you there myself."

He offers an arm which I take, noticing just how much muscle is attached to it. _He must _really_ work out! _As he leads me through the 'lair' as he calls it, Mikey points out where everything is. The lounge, kitchen, dojo- _Wait a minute. Dojo? Isn't that Japanese?_

"And finally on our tour, we come to the bathroom. There's a gift shop on your right when you come out."

Making a mental note to ask him about the dojo thing later, I head into the bathroom to do what my bladder was screaming at me to do. Standing up, I saw a green face in the mirror opposite.

Don

"Holy hell! What is she screeching about now!"

I sigh; ignoring Raph and the glares he was getting from the others and cautiously push open the door. "You okay?"

She doesn't even look up at me. She's just curled up in the corner, repeating, "That's not me," over and over like some kind of mantra.

I press the heels of my hands against my eyes. I wish I knew what was wrong, then maybe I could help her. _Wait a minute. She's quiet. But... oh no, she's hyperventilating. I've got to get her to calm down before she passes out._

I kneel down next to her. "Hey, you've got to calm down. Take long steady breaths. Can you do that?"

No response. And then comes the inevitable. Her eyes roll back in her head and she slumps to the floor, completely unconscious.

* * *

Amy

_Wow, trippy dream._

"How are you feeling child?"

I turn at the voice and see a giant rat sitting nearby. _Damn. Not a dream. I guess I really have gone off the deep end after all. _"Uh, fine I guess." _Man, my voice sounds really shaky. It's like a crack addict between fixes or something._

The old rat speaks again. "Tell me, how did you come to be in the sewers?" He's got a really cool accent. It sounds kinda Japanese.

"Well, I was just taking this kid I know his new pet turtle – his birthday present – and I fell down a manhole, got covered in some weird glowing goo and then got attacked by this man-spider-thing."

He looks at me – from what I can tell from his expressions, he's puzzled. "So you were once human?" he asks me.

"Once? What do you mean onc…" I swallow hard; my mouth's suddenly dry as a bone. That green face in the mirror. "You mean that- that _thing_ I saw was really me?"

I glance down at my hands. _Oh, god. They're green. How could I be so stupid not to notice before? _I feel tears start flowing down my face.

Looking up again, I see the giant rat looking at me, concern in his eyes. He opens his mouth to speak, but I cut him off. "I don't need your pity. Just leave me alone."

He merely says, "As you wish," and goes, shutting the door behind him.

I know that was really harsh, but right now, I don't care. I have to spend the rest of my life as a freak of nature.

Giving in to the racking sobs I collapse back down onto the bed. _My whole life, it's gone. I'll never get it back. Never._


	3. Sleep

A/N: Sorry again. I had every intention of writing this quicker, when bam! Writer's block rears its ugly head and strikes once more. So here's a relatively pointless chapter for ya. Enjoy! By the way, a name underlined means it's from their perspective and italics mean thoughts & yadda yadda yadda.

Shoutouts!

Boogalaga – thanks muchly.

Galaxya – also thanks muchly.

Lunar-Ninja – To you I say bah! Amy is no Sue of Mary. (Well not anymore, thank heavens for that!)

Pacphys – Ah yes, cruel, cruel mirrors. They surely suck.

Gummadoon Fanatic – Thanks for the compliment and sorry about the updating downtime.

Dona Tello625 – Thanks! Aw, look, I'm blushing now.

Jessiy Landroz – Pink hedgehog huh? Hmmm. lol – And Alice the little turtle? Truth be told, There's nothing more concerning her, she didn't get any mutagen on her. (At least that's my excuse.)

* * *

Donatello

_So she was originally human. Well that explains her reactions._

I roll over on the couch to look at the clock in the kitchen. Two am. Sleep just doesn't seem to be coming tonight_. Too much on my mind, I suppose. Maybe a bath will help me to relax._

Making my way to the bathroom, I note that the door is wide open and the light is spilling into the lair. Wondering who could be in there, I poke my head around the door. It's her.

I watch her bring her hand up to her face, gently exploring her features. This must be all terribly new to her. To say her eyes are extremely red would be a gross understatement. She's obviously been crying for some time. She sighs softly, just on the edge of hearing.

_I don't think she knows I'm here._

Unsure of what else to do I clear my throat to announce my presence. She starts, almost guiltily, as if she's been caught doing something wrong.

"What are you doing?" I ask gently.

She shrugs carelessly. "Just adjusting." She replies guardedly.

My eyes are drawn to the bandage on her arm. I need to see how her wounds are healing. If they get infected, it's going to mean somehow finding antibiotics. "Can I check your arm?"

Amy

"Why the hell not?" I lift my arm and he carefully removes the bandage and begins inspecting the largest of the cuts there.

"Hmmm, no sign of infection." He murmurs. "It's healing nicely too, but you might have a small scar."

He moves on the others, his hands gently checking for any stray bits of glass that might've been missed.

_For a giant turtle, his hands aren't cold or slimy or anything. They're not overly hot, but they're not cold either. Weird._

"You know, I don't even know your name." That statement seems to surprise him, and to be honest, it surprises me too. I have no idea where that thought came from.

"It's Donatello. Don or Donny for short." He tells me, beginning to re-wrap the bandage.

_Michelangelo and Donatello… bit of a theme going on here._

Finally done, he secures the gauze and smiles up at me. He just looks so gentle and reassuring. I can hardly believe I was ever afraid of him. Uh… he's still smiling at me. Suddenly uncomfortable, I turn away and mutter a thank-you.

There's a small, awkward silence before he asks, "Do you want me to show you around our home?"

"Sure." I don't really want to, but I'm definitely not sleeping and it's not like there's anything else for me to do.

He takes me around, showing me where everything is in the kitchen. Frankly, I'm amazed at the stuff they've got down here. _I wonder how they got all these things? It's not like they can just walk into a department store or anything._

And then we get to the good part – the dojo. After taking off my shoes as instructed I rush excitedly over to the wall where the weapons are shelved. I can't help it – they're all shiny and stuff. "So I know you use that stick-"

"It's called a bo." He corrects me.

"Okay, bo. But what ones do the others use?"

"Mikey uses the nunchucks, Leonardo uses the twin katanas and these," he says, pointing to each weapon in turn, "are Raphael's – the sai."

I run my eyes over the last weapon. They look vicious. I definitely wouldn't want to be on the wrong end of an attack from one of those. And they belong to someone I haven't even met yet – he could be a psycho for all I know.

"So um, when will I meet the other two of your brothers?"

"Whenever you're ready. Although they're probably asleep right now." He says, smiling in that gentle way of his again.

"Speaking of sleep, whose room have I been sleeping in?" I'd been meaning to ask that for awhile now. Whoever's room it is, they definitely read a lot – and honestly, who reads books on physics? That's far too think-y for my tastes, I'm still trying to get through 'See Spot Run'. I'm only kidding, but you get the point.

"Uh, my room." He tells me.

"Oh. I could just crash on the couch or something from now on if you want your own space back." I feel kinda guilty, knowing that I've just taken over his room without asking – I know I'd hate if someone did that to me.

"It's okay; I don't mind sharing with Mike, really." There goes that smile again. Then his eyes fill with concern.

"You should probably get some sleep. You've been through a lot lately." He says.

I sigh. "Okay. I'll give it a shot."

A few minutes later while I'm staring at the ceiling I get to thinking about how different my life's become in just two days. Well, at least I got found by good people, it could've been much worse; I could've been stuck with those visionary nutjobs. Really great people actually. I mean, first Don saves me from those creeps, then he just gives up his room for me without a fuss. He shows me nothing but kindness.

And with that thought, I finally drift off to sleep, a amile on my face.


	4. Breaking One's Fast

A/N: I apologise for my slack-ness and the whole not-updating-for-ages thing, but my life suddenly decided it needed to be a lot more complicated and difficult. But now it's all sorted (well, mostly sorted) and I can turn my attention back to my stories.

Shoutouts!

LadyKatana - things do get better for her (eventually very much in the eventually)

Jessiy Landroz - plot away my friend! Plot away! I shall reveal nothing! A ha ha! A ha ha ha ha! plotting her own evil plot-like plots

Pacphys - thanks muchly for the complimentary compliments! And about the whole 'who reads book on physics' thing - that's actually a little joke about myself from getting into a conversation with a friend at school in the libraryand she complained about having to read books on physics for the subject. The amusing part was that I was actually reading a book on physics at that exact moment. So you're not that much of a minority. Go all us brainaged peoples! Whoooo!

Sugar Shell - Everyone keeps telling me I need to do something with Alice. I honestly hadn't thought about it. I may have to try and write it into the storyline. strokes chin in a thoughtfull manner while gazing dramatically into the distance

Bandaboo - well, she kind of was in hysterics. But she is taking better than most would. Thanks much for the review!

Donny's Girl - Whoo! begins dancing and singing with joy Not a Mary-Sue! Not a Mary-Sue! Oh yeah - a wicky-wicky wild wild west! stops dancing abruptly ahem. Anyway, back in the land of sanity... who am I kidding, it's common knowledge that I'm crazy, there's no point denying the obvious.

Dona Tello - Uh... Thanks?

Pi90Katana - your review certainly did help - any review does. If nothing else, they encourage me to keep on writing.

Lunar Ninja - thanks for the review, and don't worry. I would throw you into the lions' den. Those freeloading lions are striking again. They've got a better union than we do.

As usual stars around a name means it's their POV and italics are thoughts. And now, on with the story.

* * *

Amy

_Hmmm, someone's knocking. Wonder what they want?_

"Yeah?" I call.

The door opens just a crack and I see Don cautiously poke his head through the gap. "Uh, I was just wondering is you wanted to come out with everyone else for breakfast. I could just bring you something if you don't feel like it."

He seems so hesitant that I almost laugh. _Now he's offering to bring me breakfast in bed?_

Just as that thought pops up in my head, I hear Mikey shout out from the kitchen, "So, you gonna bring her breakfast in bed? What service!"

That does make me laugh. So does the expression on Don's face as he suddenly looks down to stare at his feet. Unfortunately, I'm laughing so hard that I miss the second comment. It's lower toned and not in any voice I recognize. It's also immediately followed by the sound of a walking stick hitting the back of a skull.

"Hey! What was that for!" the unknown voice calls.

"That, Raphael, was for your extremely rude comment. You should know better."

_Ah, so that was Raphael then. That Splinter sure is a tower of discipline, not even letting him make jokes – second thought – from the tone of it, I don't think I really want to know what it was._

Finally I manage to stop giggling like an idiot and reply to Don's question. "I'll come out and eat with you guys."

He looks up again, snapping out of his own little world of horror and nods. I almost feel sorry for him, or at least I would if it wasn't so damn funny.

Once he's left, I throw on my sweatshirt, grateful that I had it with me when I fell down the manhole – I'd freeze without it. It's cold down here; or maybe I'm cold-blooded now or something. _I wonder how I can find out?_

I yawn and stretch my shoulders on account of them being kind of sore; my shell gets in the way all the time cause I'm still not used to it. Just then, I notice just how restricting my sweatshirt is all of a sudden. _Blasted shell, it just keeps on giving me grief._

Just in front of the door, I pause, taking a deep, steadying breath. I've never really liked meeting new people. But fear exists only for it to be conquered. I can't remember where I got that saying from, but hey, it sounds cool. So I pull the door open and walk out.

As I walk past the couch I see Mikey watching cartoons and eating fruit loops.

"Good morning!" he calls – although, due to the enormous amounts of food in his mouth it comes out more like: "Boog Bordig," and sprays little specks off milk about.

I just wave to him – trying to talk after seeing that would probably send me into another laughing fit.

In the kitchen, Don's seated at the table, drinking coffee and reading a paper. Splinter is there too, drinking something – I don't know what, but it smells like some kind of herbal tea.

There are also the two other turtles, the ones I haven't met. One is rubbing the back of his head and looking slightly disgruntled. _I guess that must be Raphael._

"Ah, miss Amy," Splinter says warmly. "May I introduce you to the other two of my sons; Leonardo," he points to the one in blue, then shifts his gaze to the red-banded, disgruntled turtle, "and Raphael."

"It's good to meet you." Leonardo says, standing up and bowing to me.

Raphael just looks up from his seat and nods, saying only, "Just call me Raph. I hate m'full name."

_Man, these guys are all so different. There's a clown, a geek, a rebel and a Mr. Propriety here. And Splinter's completely unlike anyone I've ever met, he's like an old mystic guru or something._

"What would you like for breakfast?" Leonardo asks.

"Just coffee will be fine. I never have been much of a breakfast person."

I get up to grab myself a mug, but before I'm even out of my chair, Leonardo has handed me one, full to the brim with steaming java-y goodness. _Ooookay. That was a little weird. Ugh, it's way to early to be taking all this in. Well actually, I have no idea what time it is, but it _feels_ early._

"So," I say to Don while sipping my coffee in the pauses, "What do you guys generally do all day?"

He shrugs. "We just pretty much all do our own things – except when it's time for a training session or a city patrol."

_Training session huh? Wouldn't mind seeing that._

"So how often do you train?" I ask, hoping to high heaven that I don't sound _too_ interested in their habits.

"Every day. We'll be having a lesson in about an hour if you want to watch."

"That sounds cool." _Cool it is! I finally get to see just what these guys can do! I do have to find something to do for an hour though._

No sooner did I think that, than Mikey called from the lounge, "And until then, you can come watch some toons with me!"

So Mikey and I spent the next hour watching the cartoon channel. Apparently, most of their stuff had been salvaged and fixed by Don, who had also found a way to rig up cable and everything.

When Splinter emerges and announces that it is time for training, I'm almost sad – it's just so much fun to hang out with Mikey and listen to all his impersonations and jokes. But still I follow them into the dojo and bow to Splinter as I was told to before settling down against the wall, out of the way.

For the next two hours that follow, I am completely entranced. It's incredible to watch them move with such amazing grace and speed. There has not been a single film in history ever produced that could do this sort of skill justice. _Wish I could do stuff like that._

* * *

Ah the shower. Marvel of modern civilization. There's nothing better than the feeling of being clean. Except when you actually have some clean clothes to get into when you get out.

I wish there was some way to get my stuff, but I don't really think I want to risk going up to the surface just yet.

Since I have no other choice, I pull on my not-exactly-clean-OR-fresh clothes and wander back out to the lounge. As soon as I sit down, Mikey turns away from the tv to look at me.

"What's up?" he asks, looking slightly concerned. It's weird; these guys seem to be way more in tune with other people's feelings than anyone usually would be.

"Not much, I just miss having my stuff," I reply.

"Oh." He turns back and goes back to watching his show.

For some time the two of us just sit there watching the inanity box. Then out of nowhere, Mike asks me a question.

"Hey where did you live anyway?"

"Why do you want to know?" _That's kind of an odd question to ask out of the blue._

"Oh, I was just wondering," he says, practically radiating innocence.

I'll bet there _is_ a reason for his asking, but I trust him enough that he's not gonna do anything horrible with that info, so I decide to tell him. "In that old apartment on 59th street."

"Ah, that's not the best neighborhood in the city," he remarks with a grimace.

I just shrug, lapsing back into silence for several minutes. _But the devastating truth can no longer be concealed – I must confess!_

"I'm really tired so I'm gonna go crash now." Gotcha!

I push myself up off the couch and start off on my journey to the wondrous land of sleep.

"Night," Mike calls from behind me and I wave over my shoulder at him. I hear him getting up and switching off the tv as I pass through the doorway. He must be tired too or something.


	5. Home

A/N: Righto! Shoutouts time!

Jessidy Landiroz: Giggle away, I shall tell you nothing - save, or course for saying that you may indeed get that pineapple pizza.

Dona Tello: Ah, well that explains things. Many thanks for the reviewage.

Pacphys: Hee hee - no picking on Don? But it's so much fun...

Ashley The Dragon: Thanks. Sorry the updation that was asked for was longer in the delivery than I intended.

Kristy: Well, I'm sorry but you may have to wait - unless by sheer will power I can make this story write itself... hmm... nope!

Virtual Wenrog: Hate to say, but I'm not gonna reveal anything that would spoil any surprises, but I will answer your other question. This story is based on one giant muddle of the old series, movies and comics - I basically just nicked all the elements I liked best. It would have more elements of the new cartoon if I ever had the chance to watch it - something I am sadly deprived of.

Right. I've finally managed to fix up this chapter (fingers crossed) Sigh. That aside, we now return you to the tale...

* * *

Amy 

Have you ever woken up with someone leaning over you and grinning like a maniac? Do you know how much of a fright you get when that happens? And the fact that the face filling my field of vision is non-human makes it all the worse. I yelp in surprise and pull the covers over my head.

"Well good morning to you too sunshine!" Mikey chirrups. Then he yanks the covers off me. "Come on! Up! There's a surprise waiting for you!"

_I bet it's a surprise that could've waited for a decent hour of the day – y'know, like lunchtime or something. __  
_  
But I get up anyway, saying no to Mikey when he's this excited would be like kicking an adorable little puppy – just too cruel. Just when I get to the door, a pair of three-fingered hands come up from behind me and completely cover my eyes.

"Might I ask what the hell you're doing?" I ask, my voice deathly calm.

"It's a surprise," he says matter-of-factly, "and it'll be more of a surprise if you don't see it till the last minute."

"Fine." I say, sighing in defeat.

He leads me about, occasionally telling me to step up or down, or to turn; but completely refusing to tell me where I was being taken.

After what seems like an eternity, he says, "Okay, you can look now," and removes his hands.

The sight before me makes me gasp aloud in wonder. It's all my stuff! And exactly the way I'd had it set up back home! By bed, my comfy armchair, my desk – everything!

"Oh, thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!" I gush, rushing around and hugging Mikey, Leonardo and Raph in turn, one small part of my mind noting that Don is absent. "And it's even set up the way I had it."

Mikey grins. "Hey, you should thank Don for that – it was his idea."

Really? Wow.

And it is just then that the turtle in question comes through, holding an adapter box and trailing an extension cord behind him. Obviously for powering devices that need powering to be powered into their devious device-ness… sorry about that.

Overwhelmed with joy I fling my arms around Don's neck, to thank him just as enthusiastically as I had his brothers.

"Thank you so much." I murmur, very nearly choked with emotion. I've never really had people around who would do something this wonderful for me before – it's a very novel experience. And an ironic one too – that I would have to meet people who weren't strictly human to experience the genuinely human experience of a selfless gift.

When I finally let him go, Don gets right to setting up the adapter box. Once finished, he looks up and smiling that gentle smile that is so uniquely his, he says, "You're welcome. I only thought that it should all go up the way it was because I want this to feel like home to you."

That comment touches me and without thinking I throw my arms around Don again.

The reactions are instantaneous. Mikey responds first by letting out a wild whoop and a "Go Don!"

Releasing Don I turn to see Raph smirking evilly and Mikey giving the thumbs up with a grin so wide it threatens to split his face.

"We'll just leave you two alone," he says, dragging his other two siblings, one still smirking and the other shaking his head - in sympathy or disbelief I don't know.

Another thing I don't get is how even though Mikey is busy man- or turtlehandling both Raph and Leonardo out of the room, he still manages to nudge Don in the ribs as he goes past.

As he does so I see Don's cheeks darken further. _He really does embarrass easily, huh?_ I feel so sorry for him, that I try and take his mind off all that.

"So," I start casually, but internally floundering desperately for something to say, "How did you manage to hook this place up with electricity?" _Phew, thank you brain._

And it seems as this was the perfect thing for distracting a Don because he starts rambling on about how he tapped into the main grid and... well, I didn't really understand the rest. I'm not ashamed to say it went way over my head. But it gets rid of his embarrassment so I'm content to let his words wash over me as he sets up all the cords and other junk.

Plopping down on my bed, my thoughts start to wander into the region of just how lucky I was to be found be such great people. Then, unsurprisingly, they turn to how tired I am. I stretch lazily, arching my back and raising my arms.

Eventually I realise Don has fallen silent. Looking up, I see him gazing down at me, his expression completely unreadable.

"What is it?" I ask, curious as to why he would find me so fascinating.

"It's nothing," he replies, still blank-faced. "I'm gonna go get breakfast now, you should come out for some too when you're ready."

He leaves without another word. _Oooookay. What was that all about? __  
_  
Putting that out of my mind for now, I take another long look around at my surroundings. My eyes are drawn to the mirror that my grandmother left me. I've always loved it, but right now it just makes me want to cringe. Just because I might be starting to deal with my new appearance, does not mean that I want to see it all the time.

With a sigh, I carefully take it off its hook and slide it gently under the bed. That done, I head out the door to get some sustenance and coffee - mostly for the coffee.


	6. Understanding and an Agreement

A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long to write, but to make up for it, it's really long. That aside, shoutouts time!

Pacphys - Thanking thee muchly for thine praise. And yes, they do love picking on Donnie, don't they? I think it has something to do with the blush factor.

SilentWater13 - Thanks!

Mahalove - Thanks for the review, I have a very detailed description of Amy in a later chapter so dispair not. Also, I'm sorry to hear about no one reading your fic. I did try but uh... well... the most German I can speak is 'Ich ben ein brachwurst' (apologies for any spelling mistakes).

NumbuhZero - Yay me! And yay you - the almightly Queen of the Gnomes that you are!

Agent-Doo - I don't know what happened there. Something to do with the mac I'm currently using. But all fixed now. Thanks for the review!

Virtual Wenrog - Aha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! I shall reveal nothing foolish mortal! PS - Ta muchly for the review.

Jessiy Landroz - Sorry sorry sorry sorry - a million times sorry. But at least it's fixed now, right? Right? Cowers Please don't hurt me.

The Incredible Dancing Betty - Ah, Amy's family. They don't really get much of a mention - but just as a bit of history for you here's a fun fact: Amy's family are all rich snobs. They disowned her several years ago (when she was only 14) and she hasn't had any contact of any sort with them since. And Alice... Well... You'll just have to wait and see... insert maniacal laughter here

And now we return you to our regularly scheduled programme... -R & R!

* * *

Amy 

It's so nice in my new/old room. I've been in her since breakfast, just lying on my bed, staring into space and occasionally glancing around at all the familiar sights. After everything that's happened lately, it's great to have a little touch of normalcy in my life.

A knock on the door interrupts my thoughts.

"Enter... If you dare!" I call out.

Don opens the door, smiling slightly. _Nice to know that _someone_ finds me funny. __  
_  
"What's up?" he asks me.

I shrug. "Not much, just lazing around, doing nothing. It's an old hobby of mine."

He smiles again, but then something seems to pick at his attention. He looks around briefly, frowning, then asks, "Where's the mirror gone."

_Uh-oh. __  
_  
"Uh, what mirror?" I reply, trying desperately to sound causual.

"The mirror that was right there," he points at the spot where the accursed thing had been hanging earlier. "I know it was there because Mikey made Raph straighten it up about twenty times, claiming it was on an angle."

I sigh. There's just no hiding things from a ninja. "Well," I begin hesitantly, "if you must know, I put it under the bed."

Don's face becomes a picture of puzzlement. "Why?"

"I... I just didn't want to look at it. I can't stand to look at just how ugly am I and..." I glance up, only to find him gone. Then realization of why suddenly hits me like a thunderbolt. How could I have said that!

Even from where I am, I can hear the slamming of Don's door perfectly. _Oh man, I can't believe how stupid I am sometimes. __  
_  
After making my way to his door, I knock quietly, wondering if it's even going to be loud enough for him to hear.

"What is it?"

His voice sounds so cold and distant now, nothing like what I'm used to. "Can I come in?" I call softly.

I get no response but I open the door anyway - this is too important for it to wait. When I go in, Don doesn't even turn from the computer to look at me. I must have really hurt him.

"Don, I'm sorry," I begin, subconciously wringing my hands. "You guys have done so much for me and I've repayed you by being a total bonehead. I feel really terrible that I said what I did. I didn't mean it like you probably thought."

Still nothing. I don't know how to make him understand. Tears start to well up in my eyes. What if he never forgives me?

"I really am sorry it's just that... well you guys have had your whole lives to get used to looking like you do but I've only had a week."

Now the tears finish the period of threatening and start making salty tracks down my face.

"I don't know what else I can say. I'll understand if you never forgive me. I'll leave you alone now."

I go to leave, but a hand on my shoulder stops me. I turn to see Don there.

"I'm so sorry." I whisper, the tears staring all new journeys.

To my surprise, Don wordlessly wrapps his arms around me. "It's okay," he says quietly.

Just that simple sentence opens the floodgates and I stand there while wracking sobs surge through me. Don just pulls me closer and I cling to him until the sobs eventually subside.

After a while, I pull away from him. I'm suddenly kinda tired. Must've been all that crying.

"You okay?" Don asks.

I nod. "Yeah, I'm just tired. Think I'll go catch some Z's. So you're not still mad at me?"

He shakes his head slightly. "No I'm not. Goodnight Amy."

"Night," I reply, wearily making my way to bed and rest.

* * *

Slowly I return to the land of consciousness. Rolling over, I look at my bedside clock.

_Ugh. Nine o'clock? That's practically the crack of dawn. __  
_  
I roll back over, pulling the blankets over my head, hoping in vain to go back to sleep. But it's no good; I'm decidedly awake now.

Sighing heavily, I push off the blankets and make my way out to the kitchen for some life - and sanity - saving coffee.

No sooner have I poured myself a mug of hot, sugary caffine-filled goodness than Mikey enters the kitchen. Aparrently, he hasn't even realised I'm here as he starts gathering ingredients for his usual bowl of sugar coated food-coloring lumps while doing a living dead impression.

"Morning Mike." I say, biting the inside of my cheek to hold back the snigger that is threatening to escape.

_The look on his face is classic. Almost as if he'd just been accosted by a talking pineapple. Or something like that. __  
_  
Unfortunately, Mikey makes a quick recovery and the look of shock swiftly vanishes to be replaced with the usual cheeky grin. It could be my imagination though, but he does still seem a little sheepish.

Then he just goes back to preparing his cereal. My entertainment over for now, I just stare into space and let my thoughts wander. Eventually, they get onto the track of just how lucky I am.

_The odds must have been thousands to one for me to meet a group of such generous, caring people. It's not like I've known many of those. Hah, except for my family. Now that's a laugh. My family. Caring. I'd laugh if it wasn't so damn depressing. __  
_  
"Penny for your thoughts?" Mikey's voice de-rails my thought train.

I shrug. "I was just thinking about how lucky I was to get found by you guys. Not many people would've taken in a stray like you guys have."

Mikey returns my gesture. "Hey, it's what we do. We've spent most of our lives helping people who need it."

"Why?" I ask.

Mikey's brow creases in thought. The expression looks almost out of place on him. I never really noticed before how that grin of his makes him look so young. Without it, I can finally see a little of what lies behind the jokes.

"We help people because we can. We have the skills and resourses to do it, so why wouldn't we?"

"Michaelangelo, it is time for training." Splinter's voice calls from across the lair.

"Coming!" he calls, getting up. "See you later," he says to me, all smiles again.

I watch him wander out into the lair and off to the dojo.

_Using their skills to help those in need. If that's not a worthwhile purpose for a life, I don't know what is. Those kind of skills could really be useful... __  
_  
That in mind, I follow Mikey's path and enter the dojo, removing my shoes before entering and bowing to Splinter as previously instructed. Watching them spar, moving so quickly with such power and grace serves to harden my resolve. I want to learn.

Once practice is over, I wait until all the others leave. Fortunately for me, the turtle I most want to speak to decides to stay behind and beat up the punching bag for a bit.

"Raph?" I ask, walking carefully over to him.

"Yeah?" he grunts, still pummeling the poor bag.

"I was wondering if..." _How to put this? Ah, screw it._ "I want you to train me."

This actually makes him stop his barrage of attacks on the beaten object and turn to face me.

"What? Why me? Why not Don or one'a the others?" he asks.

_Hmmm, I wonder why he said Don first._

"Well," I begin hesitantly, unsure on how to put this as well. "I know you all well enough now to realise that you're the only one who wouldn't go soft on me."

He pauses for a moment, obviously thinking hard. "I suppose," he says with a shrug. "Meet me in here at eight tonight."

With that he walks out, leaving me to stand there alone, consumed by a mix of exitement and nervousness.


	7. Lesson Number One

A/N: You like me... You really like me.

Ryhoyarbie - Thanks for the review. And you're right by the way. But then, can you see Raph going easy on ANYONE?

The Incredible Dancing Betty - Yes she is wearing clothes. I haven't really mentioned it yet, but there are... um... some 'slight' differences between her and the guys in the area above the carapace. I'll let you use your imagination.

Virtual Wenrog - You are most welcome for the update. And here's another one! Yay! Also you may be crazy... or you may not be... I shall reveal nothing! Nothing! Bwahahahahahahahahaha!

Shadow Warrior 4 God - Thanks so much. Your review made me blush. It's nice to know that I'm spreading around some happiness.

Silent Water 13 - Yay for me! Hmmm... I've never been called brilliant before. 'Blithering imbecile' certainly, but not brilliant. laughs Thanks for the review.

Jessiy Ladnroz - Yes I know the forgiveness-getting bit was kinda short. I did origionally write a much longer version where Don stays mad at Amy for ages but frankly it was crap so I re-wrote it and that's what'cha got. Headquarters under construction huh? Well... I'd tell you whether or not to stop the building crews, but frankly that would spoil all my fun... I'm not sayin' nothin!

Donny's Ninja Girl - Dun, dun duuuunnnnnnnn... Tee hee. Here comes another chapter. Like, mondo thanks for the totally tubular review dudette!

And off we go! You all know the score by now I'd hope - stars around a name mean from their POV and italics are thoughts.

* * *

Don

It's eight o'clock – or thereabouts. This is my last chance to say something before it's too late.

Just as I'm about to walk in the door, I meet Amy coming out the other way.

"Are you really sure this is a good idea?" I ask bluntly.

"Yes I do," she replies flatly. Apparently deciding however, that it was a bit too short to be a proper answer, she goes on to say, "I don't want to be helpless anymore."

I can see her reasoning, but there's still something bothering me. "But... Why did you ask Raph?"

"Well Raph's not exactly the type to go easy on anyone."

I smile at that, she just summed him up pretty well there. But that didn't really answer my question. "That doesn't explain why you chose him as your teacher."

"In a real fight, do you think that someone who wants to hurt me is going to give me any sort of advantage?" she says, shrugging.

"Well no..." She has a good point, but I still don't feel any better about this. "Could you come to my room afterwards and tell me how it went?"

She looks slightly puzzled, as if wondering why I would worry about her. She does manage to keep her confusion out of her voice though. "Okay. I'll see you later then."

I force a smile and head into my room, shutting the door behind me. Why am I so worried about this?

_It's just that Raph looses control sometimes. That's all. I'm sure that's all. __  
_  
I've got to put this out of my mind. I sit down at my computer and bring up the new programme I've been working on lately. That should work. I hope.

Amy

_Well one thing for sure. Don's nerves about this sure as hell haven't helped mine. __  
_  
I sigh and shake my head. It's too late to turn back now.

I no sooner walk through the door then a pair of massive arms wrap around my neck, one hand going up to cover my mouth. There's no way of escape, or even crying out for help now.

_Oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap! I'm so screwed! Who could've possibly gotten into the lair? __  
_  
"Now you see, that's why you need to be aware at all times. Never underestimate an opponent," a gruff voice says, just by my ear.

When my brain finally kicks in and I recognise it as Raph's, I relax a little. Not very much though, I've heard some stories about him. Not that I don't trust him or anything, it's just that this is not a situation I feel too comfortable about.

I nod mutely to show I understand and he lets me go.

"Okay," he says, clapping his hands together enthusiastically. "Let's get down to business."

* * *

"Not like that, your arm should end up like this at the end of that movement." Raph takes my arm and carefully shifts it around. "Now hold that position."

Uhhhhhh... My arms feel like they're made of jelly.

"Getting tired?" Raph asks.

"Uh-huh," my arms drop to my sides, seemingly out of my control. "That's just a mild understatement."

"We'll call it quits then. Same time tomorrow?"

I just nod, too tired to do anything more.

Raph leaves and I slowly drag myself back to my room and flop down on the bed. It is only then that I remember having promised Don to tell him how my 'training' went.

So with a sigh and a groan I hoist myself back up and shuffle out to Don's room.

"Hey Don," I say wearily, letting myself in.

He rises from his chair and comes over to me. Wasting no time, he starts firing off questions. "How did it go? Are you hurt at all? What did you go over?"

I put up one hand to silence him. "It went fine; I'm not hurt - just tired and a little achey; and we just did basic stances and blocking."

Don's shoulders drop slightly in relief. Then he seems to process what I said and pulls up a chair. "Here. Why don't you sit for a bit?"

"Thanks," I say, falling into it, much more than gratefull to be off my feet.

Don sits back down and fixes me with a concerned gaze. "So he wasn't too rough with you?"

"No, no. It was fine."

_He really was worried wasn't he? __  
_  
I actually find his concern a little disconcerting so I decide to change the subject. "So what were you working on before I showed up?"

"Just the new security system I'm setting up. When it's all finished, I'll know the moment anyone gets even close to the lair. What I'm going to do is hook up about thirty motion detectors and..." he breaks off suddenly.

I barely notice, as I'm too busy pouring over the plans on screen. "You know, If you connected them in series from here to here," I remark, pointing out the area on the screen. "Then the system would be much more reliable. Not to mention power-efficient."

I look back up to see Don staring at me as if I've just grown antlers. "What?" I ask defensively.

"Well it's just that when I start talking, people usually just stop listening or tell me to shut up - not offer suggestions. How did you know that?" he replies.

"My friend Dave was a tech-whizz. I learned quite a bit from him." That memory makes me smile. How time flies...

"Amy, won't he be worried about where you are? And your family, what about them?"

I sigh. This was going to come up sooner or later. "I doubt it. For a start, I haven't talked to anyone in my family for a couple of years now."

"Why not?" he asks.

"We don't get on," I tell him flatly, hoping to avoid any further discussion. "And secondly, Dave can't worry about me. He's been dead for just over five years now. It was in a car crash."

"I'm sorry," he says.

I just shrug. "Don't be. I dealt with his passing a long time ago."

"Not just for that," he says, shaking his head. "I'm also sorry about your family."

I smile wearily. "That doesn't bother me either. You can't miss what you never had."


	8. Embarrassment

A/N: Just a short, evil little chapter to keep you going. The fun will continue... uh... later. Thanks to all who reviewed! Wierd about the whole 'review replies now being illegal' thing huh? I'll make personal replies to the reviews for the next chappie though. Provided I get some... Boy I'd better get some... or it's gonna have to be painfull, messy death for the lot of ya!

...I love you gazes imploringly at readers

* * *

Amy

_Phew, boy am I glad that's over. Who knew that learning to fight was going to be so damned tough? I definitely needed this shower. __  
_  
I sigh contentedly as the hot water slowly drums away the aches in my muscules.

_They really do have killer water pressure down here. I should probably get out before I use up all the water in the tank though. __  
_With another sigh, not so contented this time, I turn off the water and step out of the shower. While drying off, I realise just how little I notice my appearance now.

At some point, I just got used to the fact that my skin is green and thicker than it used to be.

If I really think about it (from the right perspective) it's solved a lot of body issues for me. Now that I've got a carapace in place of my formerly jelly-like lack-of-abs there's no more jiggly tummy worries.

That and the fact that I no longer need to wear a bra because of... ah, I'm not going to go into detail on that. Just as well though, it wouldn't fit over my shell. At least my shell is smaller than that of the guys - it barely reaches past the middle of my back. It would've made thing just slightly awkward if my clothes wouldn't fit.

Satisfied that I have now at least begun to come to terms with my new 'appearance' I head towel-clad back to my room to find a more suitable (and less revealing) outfit.

_Just about finished – I just need a top now._

My hand is inches away from the garment in question when I look down… and freeze in sudden horror. There's a spider. A big, nasty spider sitting right on my top.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!"

I snatch my hand away suddenly. I really, really REALLY hate spiders.

It is at this moment that Don comes rushing in – probably in response to my scream.

"Amy! What happened?" he asks, looking slightly wild-eyed.

"Spider. On my top. Aaarrrrg! I hate spiders!" I look up to see him staring at me in horror.

_What? Is he scared of spiders too or something? I wouldn't think that…_

Noticing the direction of his flabbergasted stare, I glance downwards… And suddenly remember my state of half-dress. I spin around with a little yelp as Don turns away and starts babbling apologies. I hurriedly throw on a top.

"Okay, you can look now." I tell him, privately thinking; _Not like you haven't seen enough already._

He looks up – albeit reluctantly – and meets my eyes. "I'm so sorry I-"

I raise a hand to cut him off. "Stop. It wasn't your fault. I shouldn't have screamed over something as little as a spider – not around ninjas anyway."

"Well, I uh. I'm just going to go now." I watch him hurry out the door, closing it behind him.

_You know – his shock and lack of words almost made my being horribly embarrassed worth it… Almost._


	9. The Bo

A/N: Hey guys, sorry this took so long, but I had to get it juuuust right... Just like the porridge.

R & R peoples!

* * *

I'm getting really sick of that stupid grin he's got plastered on his face. Taunting, mocking – it's driving me nuts!

And then he laughs. I snap and throw a punch right at his face.

He grabs it in his fist. "Nope. Way too slow. You're gonna have to be faster than that ta get me."

"Shut up Raph! I've only been doing this for what – a week? Not my whole life like you. So stop making fun of me damnit!"

"Chill out. I'm just kidding all right?" he says, almost looking actually sorry. For him – that's a rarity.

I sigh and drop my stance. "Yeah, I know. Just not in the best of moods, y'know? Can we call it quits for tonight?"

He just nods and walks out, leaving me alone in the dojo with my grumpy self.

I stand there, doing nothing for a moment, and then decide that I might as well keep going on my own for awhile – might do me some good.

I give the punching bag only the briefest of glances. Not really interested in that right now. My eyes travel slowly around the dojo and finally come to rest on the weapons hanging on the wall. The bo to be specific.

I cautiously walk over to the wall where they're mounted. I know that I was told not to touch them, but I'm not very likely to hurt myself with the bo - unless I grab it in both hands and deliberately whack myself in the face with it or something.

My hand hovers over the weapon in question for a moment, locked in indecision.

_Now or never._

I snatch it off the wall in one quick motion, almost expecting to hear some sort of alarm go off. But nothing happens. I just stand there for a while, feeling the sturdy wieght of the the bo in my hands.

Absentmindedly I start going through some of the motions that I've seen Don do while training. It's not like I'm about to attempt some of the stuff I've seen - I'd probably break something and it'd most likely be my arm.

I just do some of the basic movements he does in the warm-up.

It's actually surprisingly easy. It might have something to do with all those baton lessons I was forced to take in high school, but probably not. It would be nice if those damn lessons had finally come in use for SOMETHING.

Have you ever had the feeling that someone is watching you? You know, the one where all the little hairs on the back of your neck stand straight up? Well I've got that now - and bad.

Trusting in this instinct, I turn around, only to see Don staring at me, his mouth agape.

_Oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap!_

Unsure of what to say, I just smile sheepishly and turn to put the bo back on it's shelf, hoping to avoid getting in trouble. But before I can even reach out to replace the weapon in question, Don is there to stop me with a hand on my wrist.

_Man he's fast! And I didn't even hear him move! Sometimes I really hate living with ninjas. __  
_  
I glance at him, but instead of looking angry, his face is merely curious.

"How did you learn to do that?" he asks me.

"Uh, well I... I've watched you train, and I just sorta copied what I'd seen you do."

_Why am I so embarrassed to tell him that I've been paying attention to his training? I swear, if I knew how my own mind worked for even one second then the universe would explode or something. __  
_  
"So you learnt that just from watching?"

I nod, still slightly nervous and waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"It's amazing that you've picked it up so easily."

Now it's my turn to have my jaw hit the floor. "What? I'm not in trouble? I thought I wasn't supposed to touch the weapons."

He looks thoughtfull for a moment, then says, "Well, you didn't seem to be taking any risks. But I don't think you should try it again without someone there to instruct you."

I nodded. He was right after all, it was a bit stupid for me to try that on my own. We stand there in silence as I ponder what do say next. I know that I don't just want to forget this ever happened. I want to learn more. But dare I ask him?

"Don," I start hesitantly, "Do you think you could teach me how to use this?" I hold up the object in question, looking hopefull.

"Why the bo?" is his only response. _Isn't that an odd question to ask? __  
_  
"Well..." I trail off. How to put this? "I don't think I could bring myself to cut people up, and if I tried the nunchucks, knowing me, I'd end up hitting my own head more often than I would anyone else's."

I watch as a tide of emotions flows across Don's features. Worry changes to anxiety, anxiety to embarrassment, and then back to worry again.

Finally, he speaks. "I suppose that would be okay. When would you want to start?"

I shrug. "Well, I'm not busy right now. Are you?"

* * *

A/N: So... what'cha think? Let me know, even if it is just to tell me how evil I am. Love, peace and chicken grease!


	10. Training

A/N: Heyo all, sorry this took so long. And it would have been up a week ago if not for the myriad computer problems that we had. But it's all fixed now (obviously) so here's the new chapter for you all to enjoy.

A bit thanks to all who've reviewed - to those who haven't - I know where you live! Well, not really, but it sounds good.

Must say one thing right now; enjoy the levity in this story while it lasts. Things are going to get a little more... uh... dark from here on out.

Love, peace and chicken grease!

* * *

Amy

"No, no. Move your hand up more. You'll get disarmed way too easily if you hold the bo like that."

I shift my hand as instructed, trying to remember all the other things Don said I'd been doing wrong.

_There sure is a lot more to think about than you'd think. And considering that I thought you just grabbed the stick and hit people with it, that makes for a motherload of things I hadn't thought of. __  
_  
"Okay, now that you've finally got the grip right, I want you to try and hit me."

I cringe at the word 'finally' and then take a deep breath, preparing to swing.

Clack! Two bo sticks clash in midair. But there is a big difference in the follow-up. Don makes a subtle movement that I can't follow and his bo stops just an inch away from my side.

I sigh. "Okay, what did I do wrong that time."

"You left your right side completely unguarded. If this was a real fight, you'd probably have a nasty bruise at the least."

My shoulders droop. "This is a lot harder than I thought it'd be. I don't think I'll ever get it right. Maybe I should just quit." I turn to the rack but a hand on my arm stops me. Turning back to face Don, I see him smiling gently.

"Don't get discouraged. You're just starting out at this. Natural talent can't compete with a lifetime of training."

"I suppose you're right." I shift back into a defensive stance. "Okay, let's try again."

"That's the spirit!"

Looking into Don's beaming face, I notice just how much his face changes when he smiles. When he's thinking - which is most of the time - he looks so serious. But when he smiles, his whole face lights up and his eyes fill with light. It's really amasing.

"Uh, Amy?"

"Huh?" Snapped out of my little trance, I realise that I'd been staring at him. "Heh, sorry about that. I was just thinking about something."

"That's usually my line," he says, this time grinning mischeviously.

_That's a new look for him. I wonder if he realises that he looks a lot like Mikey when he does that? __  
_  
And once again he's all seriousness. "Okay, now I'll show you a move that will put your opponent on the ground -it just goes on from the previous one, so we can pracice them in one after the other later."

_What does he mean 'show'?_ "Uh, by 'show' do you mean that you're gonna use it on me?" _That's not a worrying thought. __  
_  
"Well that is the best way for you to see how effective it can be. Whenever you're ready, attack me just like you did before."

_Great. Just freaking great. Here goes nothing. __  
_  
I swing the bo again. Before I know it, I get smacked around the back of my knees and - as predicted - start falling. Without thinking I try to grab onto something to steady myself.

Unfortunately, the nearest thing happens to be Don. And worse, he obviously wasn't expecting me to do that so when I grab his arm, he looses his balance too and comes crashing down on top of me.

I can't help it. I start giggling. "That didn't go too well, did it?"

Aparently I'm not the only one amused as Don starts chuckling too. "Not really, no."

"Ahem!"

That loud - and extremely fake - cough comes from the door. Both mine and Don's heads snap round to see Mikey leaning against the doorway, looking as if Chrismas has come early.

"I'm not... uhh... interrupting anything here am I?" he asks, still grinning like a maniac.

Before I can do anything Don is up and halfway across the room. "Nothing! We were just training!" he stammers, a little too fast to be normal.

"Suuurrrre. 'Training'." Mike drawls, inserting commas with his hands. "That's obviously what you were doing."

"Of course we were training. What else could we have been doing?" Don protests.

Both Mikey and I look at Don in complete disbelief. Then at each other. And then we burst into hysterical laughter.

Don looks affronted. "What? What's so funny?"

I try to tell him just how badly he walked into the innuendo, but all I can manage are strangled gasps through the cackles. Mike isn't even trying; just standing there, bent over and clutching his carapace.

Don eventually wanders off, looking confused and more than a little annoyed. And after a while, Mike and I finally manage to get our laughter under control.

At last able to breathe freely again, I turn to Mike. "Does he do that often?"

"Not really, but when he does, man is it worth it!" he replies. "Well," he says stretching and faking a yawn, "my job is done for the day, So I think I'll hit the hay. Night dudette."

"Night Mike." I stand there for a moment, lost in reflection.

_It sure has been a fun-packed evening. Think I might try Mike's crazy going-to-bed idea. It's so crazy that it just might work. __  
_

* * *

Donatello

One thing I can say about my recent experiences is that they've been causing a lot of lost sleep. Every time I shut my eyes, images from earlier tonight play over in my head.

_I'm just hoping that Amy didn't take my actions the wrong way. __  
_  
I roll over, hoping to finally get some sleep, but it's no good.

_Maybe if I go and talk to her about it I will be able to put my mind at rest. __  
_  
With that thought in mind I make my way to Amy's room. The door is slightly ajar so I just go in.

"Amy I- oh." I fall silent. She's asleep. I turn to leave, but she moans something in her sleep and curiosity bids me move closer.

It looks like she's having some sort of bad dream. Her brow is heavily furrowed and she it tossing lightly from side to side.

"Help me," she murmurs, just barely on the edge of hearing. "Someone help."

Unsure of what else to do I begin gently stroking her cheek, telling her, "It's okay Amy. This is just a bad dream. I'm here. You're safe now; I won't let anyone hurt you."

She calms, her whimperings ceasing.

Just when I'm about to breathe a sigh of relief, her eyes open. I freeze, but she only smiles and squeezes my hand where it still rests on her face, then shuts her eyes again.

I just stand there, stunned. Then, coming to my senses, I go back to my own room, with even more on my mind than before.

* * *

A/N: Like it? Then let me know. Hate it? Let me know too. See that little button down there? Know what it's for? It's for Re-View-Ing! That's what nice people do.


	11. A Valuable Find

A/N: Greetings, salutations and salutatious greetings! I would like to thank my family first of all for this honor... wait... no I wouldn't! They all suck! So I'll just thank me. Thank you me. I couldn't have finished this auspicious chapter without you.

...Uh, not sure quite why I just wrote that, but what the hey. Hope everyone enjoys this chapter. If you don't... well... Uhhhhh... You're not the boss of me!... Takes one to know one!... Some other various taunt!... Leave me a review!

* * *

Amy

"T-E-E-N T-I-T-A-N-S! Teen Titans! Let's go!"

I look sideways at Mikey. I've never met anyone my age (besides me of course) who was so enthusiastic about cartoons. After most of the people I've known in my life, I find his childlike nature really refreshing.

He stops singing suddenly and turns to me. "You know what I reckon would be awesome?"

"What?" I reply, mildly confused.

"Having Beast Boy as a pet." He gazes dreamily into space. "Imagine having a pet that could be anything."

_Pets. Now that's something I haven't thought of in a while._

Mike comes down from his cloud when he realises I've gone quiet. "What's up Dudette?"

"Oh, nothing much. It's just that you mentioning pets made me think about my little turtle Alice. I just wonder what's happened to her."

"The one you were carrying when you got mutated you mean?" he asks, and I nod in response. "You know what I think? I thi-"

He gets no further than that as a shout comes from the dojo. "Yo! Amy! Trainin' time! Get yer butt in here!"

I just shake my head and get up, patting Mike on the shoulder. "I'll see you later Mike. His highness calls, and I must obey. You enjoy Teen Titans now."

"I always do," he replies, fully emersing himself in the show as I walk off to answer my summons.

"Bout time," Raph grunts as I come through the door.

"That's nice!" I chirp back, hoping to annoy him, but he's obviously too used to Mikey to rise to that kind of bait. And so, upon getting another idea, I change track. "Hey Raph? Could we start on weapons?"

Seeming slightly taken aback; he asks, "Why?"

_Uh-oh. Think fast._

I shrug then reply, "Oh, I just thought it might make for a nice change."

He returns my shrug. "Sure, why not?" He walks over to the weapons rack and launches into a mini-lecture about caution which personally I think is a bit rich coming from him.

While Raph is babbling on, I notice Don poke his head in, one eye ridge raised. After a few seconds, his eyes widen and he leaves immediately. I wonder where he's gone until I see him return with Mike in tow.

Raph finishes and turns around to see his brothers standing in the doorway. "You guys come ta watch?"

They both just nod, looking very serious. Of course, as soon as Raph turns back to me, Don's face breaks into a huge grin and Mikey clasps one hand over his beak, presumably to stop himself from laughing.

"Pick a weapon." Raph instructs me.

I turn away from him and pretend to be considering my options, letting my hand hover over all the weapons in turn, before finally closing it around the bo.

We both move into position and Raph takes a defensive stance, while I take the offensive.

"Okay, when yer ready, just take a swipe at me, and we'll see what happens," he instructs.

_Oh, this is just too perfect. He's not gonna see this one coming. Okay, stay calm. He'll know something is up if you crack up now._

I take a small step forward and make an overly-amaturish swipe for Raph's head. I can see him start to grin already.

_You just wait bucco._

Suddenly I turn, moving forward and redirect the swing to the back of Raph's knees. The bo connects squarely and his knees buckle, sending him straight down onto the mat.

While he's just lying there in shock, I grin down at him and quip, "You can never underestimate an opponent Raph, you should know that."

That comment seems to break the trance. At that moment, both Don and Mike burst into hysterical laughter and Raph flies to his feet, demanding, "How the hell'd ya learn that!"

"Don's been teaching me. I just thought it would be more fun to show you, rather than just telling you."

He stands there for a moment, looking like he's trying to bite back a curse - that or the urge to just throttle me. Mikey interrupts his inner struggle by slinging one arm over his shoulder.

"You'd better try and keep this from getting to the streets. I think it might damage your cred if they knew you just got whooped by a girl."

I swear that I can actually see Raph's eye twitching. But Mike isn't finished yet.

"So then, just how much are you willing to pay for my silence?"

Raph says nothing, he only shrugs off Mike's arm and storms out of the lair.

I grin at Mike. "You know, I do believe that we just managed to make him so angry we snapped his brain."

"What brain?" is Mike's only retort. "Right!" he says, patting his stomach. "Now that I've been properly entertained, food is in order! We have to do things in the proper way don'tcha know."

I grin while Don shakes his head. "See you later Mikey!" I call at his retreating shell as it heads for the kitchen.

"Well," I say, turning to Don, "what's on the agenda for the rest of tonight?"

He looks thoughtfull for a moment. "I do have to fix the toaster, one of the elements isn't working properly."

"Would you mind if I sit in? I've got nothing to do, and I'd like the company."

"That would be fine, if you don't think it would be too boring."

I smile and pat his arm. "I don't ever think you're boring."

* * *

We chat for a bit about trivial things while Don is working hard, tinkering away at the misbehaving appliance. But eventually the conversation slows to a halt, and the only sound in the room is occasional metalic clinks.

It's at that point that my thoughts begin to wander. I look at the clock on the wall.

_I wonder if the stars are out tonight._

I really miss being able to see the sky and feel the breeze on my skin.

_I've been underground for so long, I'm surprised I can ever _remember_ what the sky looks like._

"Amy?"

"Huh?" Don's voice snaps me out of my reverie.

"I said that I'm finished now."

"Oh, sorry. I got lost in thought: it was unfamiliar territory." I grin sheepishly.

Don spins his chair around and looks at me, his head cocked to one side. "What where you thinking about?"

"Oh nothing much. Just about the sky and how I haven't seen it in ages," I reply flippantly.

"You know," he says slowly, as if still forming the thought as he goes, "If you're missing the surface, I could take you up there for a while - if Splinter says that it's okay of course."

"You would?" I gush, unable to contain my enthusiasm.

"Sure I would." He smiles. "It obviously means a lot to you."

Unsure of what else to say, I reply, "Thanks."

* * *

I stand behind Don as he knocks quietly on Splinter's door.

"Come in."

Don smiles and ushers me in. We sit down on the cushions that rest on the floor next to the futon. I take a look around me in wonder - once again caught up in amazement of just how hard they all must have worked to make this place a home. Japanese prints cover the walls and the exotic smell of incense fills my nostrils.

_Splinter's little paradise. Wow._

"So tell me my children, what brings you in here?"

I reluctantly cease my examination of a particularly beautiful print of a lotus flower and turn back to Splinter. About to make my request, I hesitate. Suddenly it seems like such a stupid thing to ask. Luckily, Don comes to the rescue.

"Sensei, Amy misses being above ground and I was wondering if you would allow me to take her up there for a while?"

The aged ninja master looks thoughtful for a moment, taking it in turns to regard both Don and I in a highly scrutinizing gaze.

Just when I'm starting to feel uncomfortable, he speaks. "I see no reason why not. I will expect to see the both of you back here before 1am. And of course I am sure both of you will make every effort to remain unseen."

Don bows respectfully. "Yes sensei."

At the same moment, I show my gratitude as well, albeit in a less dignified manner. "Whahoo!" I shout, punching both fists into the air.

Don turns slowly to me, shock on his face, but Splinter merely chuckles.

"Well… uh. Let's get going then. Come on Amy." Don stammers, clearly still unnerved by my enthusiasm.

As we get up and make for the door, I turn back. "Thanks Splinter."

He returns it. "You are most welcome my daughter."

I leave then, closing the door behind me, and actually manage to get halfway to the exit when Splinter's words hit me and I stop dead in my tracks.

Don notices my sudden lack of movement. "What's wrong Amy?"

"He… he called me his daughter," I manage to get out through the tidal wave of emotions.

"Well you are a daughter to him in the way that I'm his son. You're one of us. You know, part of the family."

_Family…_

I duck my head slightly to keep Don from seeing the tears welling up in my eyes and continue walking. As I pass him, Don puts one hand on my shoulder and falls into step with me.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Let's get going." I shrug his hand off and speed up.

* * *

We walk in silence along the tunnels, the only sound is the occasional drip of water. Or at least I tell myself that it's only water and try to concentrate on breathing through my mouth.

Don only breaks the pensive mood by saying, "Up here," and pointing to a ladder. He climbs it quickly and when at the top, opens the manhole a crack to peer out. Apparently satisfied, he heaves the cover to the side and clambers out.

I follow him. The first thing I notice when I emerge into the streetlight is the air. Sure, New York air isn't the freshest in the world, but right now it's like a sweet perfume to me. My worries suddenly evaporate. I'm outside! As I stand there I can hear Don sliding the manhole cover back into place.

_At least noone will fall down _this_ one._

I hear a small creak behind me and turn to see Don pulling a escape ladder down. "Are you sure it's safe to go up that way?" I ask.

"Perfectly safe. This is just an old abandoned warehouse. No one's been in here for months."

"Well then," I say, gesturing upwards, "lead the way my oh-so-knowledgeable guide."

We both reach the ladder's end without incident and at the top Don turns round to offer me a hand down onto the rooftop. Just as I am about to thank Don for his display of chivalry, I catch my foot on the edge of the ladder and trip. The gratitude I was intending to voice ends up becoming a small squeak of surprise as I barrel into his carapace.

Don catches me, but only just. Somehow, he manages to get his arms around me to stop me falling any further.

After a small moment, I look up from where my head had come to rest on his shoulder. "Heh, clutz attack. Sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it," he murmurs, smiling.

Not really thinking about it, I rest my head on his shoulder and move closer to him. Feeling him tense up, I hurriedly pull away. I don't want to make him uncomfortable, so I'm not gonna push it.

To change the subject, I comment, "Sure is a perfect night out here huh?" I sigh contentedly as I sit down on what looks to me like part of an air vent.

Don, "Hmmmm"'s his agreement as he sits down beside me.

I decide to endulge in a pleasure that I have long been denied. Lying back and gasing at the heavens. A loud thunk reminds me that this is quite impossible. So I sit up again, rotating my shoulders.

Don looks at me curiously, obviously wondering what that was all about.

I grin sheepishly. "'Forgot to take the shell into account. For some odd reason, it's not that comfy to lie on."

He laughs.

"Hey, shut up!" I exclaim, batting him on the arm. "It's not my fault I'm a moron!"

My actions just make him laugh all the harder, and I end up joining in. After the chuckles finally die off, we just sit there looking up at the twinkling multitude above us.

Then, as is the habits of thoughts, mine start to wander. I still can't believe they consider me a part of their family.

_A family. A REAL family. Not just stuck together out of some misguided sense of duty – they actually care about each other. And me. This is going to take some getting used to._

"Amy, is there something wrong?"

_I suppose I might as well tell him. I doubt it could do any harm._ "It's not really wrong, just… ah," _How to put this? _"Well, I've never really had much of a family before."

Don's eyes widen. "You were adopted!"

The look on his face makes me giggle. It's comforting that a genius like him can still be caught out. "No, nothing like that. My parents were just a bit 'old fashioned' as it were. They didn't give a damn about what I wanted – they just wanted to marry me off to some dopey businessman for a nice symbol for some corporate takeover."

"But you said no, right?"

"Of course I did." _Now why would he ask a stupid question like that for? Like I would've said yes?_

"Because you didn't love him?"

"In the words of Princess Vespa: 'He didn't… do it for me.' I didn't even like him. He was just some boring self-adoring jerk in a suit who bragged about how great he thought he was all the time. One day my parent's just told me that I was going to marry this guy who I didn't even know, and it never even occurred to them that I might say no."

I waited for the inevitable hollow-sounding sympathy about 'how terrible it is when families break down'. I've heard that speech so many times that I should get it put on a t-shirt.

But nothing comes. I turn to Don curiously. He just returns my stare evenly.

"What?"

I shrug. "Oh, nothing much. I was just waiting for the usual PC sympathy."

Don smiles. "I had guessed you'd heard that sort of thing often enough, so I thought it would be better to just leave it."

"You know, that's the best response I've had yet."

Just when I'm about to thank him, a scream from the alley below grabs both of our attention.

Donatello

I look at Amy. I know that I should go and help whoever it is down there, but I really don't want to leave her on her own out here.

As if reading my thoughts, she tells me, "Go. They need you. I should be able to find my way back to the lair no problem."

I nod in response. "Just be carefull, okay?"

She just grins. "Hey! What could happen? Stop worrying and go be a hero."

Amy

As Don turns, walks away and then leaps off the side of the building, I'm glad that he can't see my face. That sort of thing worries me. Some people have guns. Martial arts don't stop guns.

_Oh, well. His choice to to take risks. It is what he's trained for though, I'm sure he'll be fine._

Going the opposite way to Don, I get to the ladder and start climbing down. Luckily with no slip-ups this time. At the bottom, I realize an unconsidered obstacle. The manhole.

_Well, there's no other choice, I'm just gonna have to shift it myself._

_Damn this thing's heavy!_

After only a couple of minutes of straining that feel like a couple of ice ages, I finally manage to get the blasted cover off. Just about to begin my descent into the fragrant depths, a hand grabs my arm. Hard.

"Well, well. What _have_ we got here? A valuable find indeed."

"Bring her."

Donatello

_Home at last._

I'm met at the door by Splinter.

"My son, you are late."

I cringe slightly. We may be nearly adults, but he's still my father and my sensei. "I'm sorry. I happened across an attack on a young woman and went to assist. I sent Amy back first though."

"You did?" He seems surprised. "But Miss Amy has not yet returned."

"What?"

_This _cannot_ be good._


	12. Just A Little Longer

A/N: Greetings and salutations once again gentle reader! I know it's been a while, and apologies galore, but I have been pretty hectic with wedding plans at the moment.That is a bit of a cop-out I suppose though, so I'll do my best to lessen the gap between chapters for now. But I could do with all the encouragement I can get... hint, hint.

No? Hmmmm. coughcoughreviewcough! Sorry, had to clear my throat there.

As always thanks for the reviews that were posted, and lots of love, peace and especially chicken grease to you all.

* * *

-Amy-

"Mruuuuuurrrgh."

_Blesch. What is that awful taste in my mouth?  
_  
It feels like someone's been rinsing my mouth out with glue while I was asleep.

_Wait a minute, asleep? I don't remember going to bed at all!  
_  
Still feeling pretty darn groggy, I rub my eyes with the back of my hand. Or at least, I try to. My hand won't move.

_Oh, please let this just be one of Mikey's stupid pranks.  
_  
I crack open one eyelid and the results are hardly comforting. I'm strapped down. Strapped down to a chair.

Looking around, I take in my surroundings. I'm in a little white room and there's some sort of monitor. I'm all alone.

_I'm strapped down to a chair in a little white room with a monitor in front of me.  
_  
_And I'm all alone. _  
_  
I'm all alone in a little white room, strapped down to a chair. _

_I'm strapped down to a chair, all alone in a little white room. _

I'm in a little white room, I'm alone and I'm strapped down to a chair.

Okay. Easy girl, paniking won't help you here. You've got to think. Think dammit, think!

Straining my memory, I realize the last thing I can recall is feeling a coth cover my face, held in an unbreakable grip by… someone… and smelling some sort of weird chemical-y smell.

_Well that explains the grogginess and the nasty taste. So I've got the how, but it doesn't give any clues as to the who. I wish that damn mouth funk would go away.  
_  
Absentmindedly making smacking sounds with my tongue – as if that action alone can help my current oral situation – I try to push my dased brain further. Hopefully if I can work out who it was that grabbed me, I can use that info to make some sort of plan.

…

No such luck. My brain, being the stubborn creature that it is, refuses to co-operate. As usual.

A sound startles me out of my reverie. The door is opening.

I suppose it won't matter if I can't remember who it was that nabbed me, cause I get the feeling that I'm about to find out.

* * *

-Michelangelo-

One ring… Two rings… Three…

_Come on Donnie, I know you're not deaf.  
_  
"Have you found her?"

Well, I'm glad he finally answered his freakin phone, but now I gotta say no?... For the billionth time, I might add. "No such luck bro."

He just sighs.

"Hey bro, uh… I was talkin to Leo and he said that uhh…"

_Damn Leo! Why'd he have to go and dump this on me? I don't think I have the heart to tell him. I don't even know how to bring it up! 'Well, we're all bored with looking, so we're gonna go have a nap'?  
_  
Don sighs again. "I take it that it's time to call it a night then?"

_Why does he have to be so damn smart all the time?  
_  
"Yeah. We're gonna need rest eventually. Can't have you collapsing – then we'd have two people to look for. I'd rather keep looking myself. But I'm not the boss, I'm just the messenger. And it's bad form to shoot the messenger right?" I pause for proper comedic timing. "I doubt you could get me from here anyway."

Nothing. Not even an annoyed groan.

"I'll see you at home Mikey," is all he says before turning his phone off.

Whereever she is, I hope she's okay. I get the feeling that Don's gonna be laying some serious hurt on any shmuck stupid enough to lay a hand on his girl. Can't say I blame him. I'll certainly be giving a thorough introduction of my babies to anybody that hurts her. That's what big brothers are for. And that's what I am. Bet Don'd like to be rather 'more' than that though.

_Heh, wonder if she had any idea how he feels. Probably not, it seems like it's blatantly obvious to everyone but them two.  
_  
Leaping off the rooftop, I make to hurry home, trying to keep the worry away by planning Amy's welcome back party. The only question, what theme will the party be? Or more accurately, which superhero?

* * *

-Amy-

As the door slowly swings open, I realise that I'm holding my breath, so I release it in a gush. It wouldn't be any good to pass out now, not when I'm about to meet my captors.

First to come through the door is some big guy covered in blades. He looks like some sort of novelty cheese grater.

Before I've had time to digest the weirdness of the first one, the second one comes in and blows my brain. It's a freakin robot! A robot with a human brain in it. Ewwwwwwww.

"Ah," says the robot coming over to me, "I see our guest is awake at last." Some little robotic doohickies move towards me and I flinch, but the only thing they do is check a pulse and my eyes - you know, how a doctor checks if they're focusing properly.

"And she seems to be in perfect health, Master Shredder."

"You're Shredder? Mike told me about you!"

"What?" he snaps. "You know those green abominations?" He storms over and grabs a handfull of my hair. I can't help but whimper slightly, his grip hurts and the closeness of all those blades is scary.

"You will tell me everything you know! Now!" he demands.

"Well aparently when they told me you were a psycho, they were right." I reply.

His other hand moves, bringing the blades attached to rest on my throat, just resting hard enough to draw tiny spots of blood. "I think it would be unwise for you to insult me," he hisses.

I try desperately not to swallow, expecting at any moment for those deadly weapons to slice through my flesh. But they are withdrawn.

Shredder obviously sees my relief as he says, "I wouldn't breathe easily just yet. Stockman, get to work."

That last comment was obviously directed at the robot thing, but what the 'work' will be, I have no idea.

* * *

-Donatello-

"Don? Donnie-Boy?"

"What is it Mike?" I growl, annoyed at being interrupted.

"It's four in the morning bro. You need to sleep sometime." He comes over, laying one hand on my shoulder. "You gotta stop beating yourself up over this. We'll find her, but till then you gotta stop makin yourself suffer. What are you doing anyway?"

I sigh. Why can't he just leave me alone? "I'm checking all news documents and internet posts to try and find out if someone's seen her."

"Any luck?" Mike asks hopefully.

"If there was, do you think I'd still be looking?" I snap.

"Sorry bro, I... I was just asking."

I turn and see the hurt in his face. "I'm sorry for that Mikey, it's just that..." I can't even finish that sentence.

He suddenly pulls me into a hug. "I know how you feel. It's been a week now and you're worried. We all are." He pulls back to look at me again. "But we're also worried about you too. Just say you'll at least try to get some sleep?"

I nod. "Okay Mike. I'll go to bed soon."

"That's all I needed to hear," he says, heading out of my room, presumably off to his own bed.

_I sit back down at the computer. Just a little longer, then I'll sleep. Just a little longer.  
_


	13. Ambushed

A/N: Hey there y'all! I'm finally back. And I apologise in advance for this mini-chapter, but that's the way it turned out, and I try not to argue with the flow of the story. Well, I did try, just very unsuccessfully.

A note; the three dashes indicate perspective, italics is thought, and the bolded ones is the email. (That'll make sense when you get to it.)

* * *

---Michaelangelo---

It's been over a month now since Amy vanished and there's still been no sign of her. Not even a tabloid piece about aliens that coulda been her – or so Donny says.

He should know, he's barely left his computer when he's not out searching the streets.

'_He's gonna kill himself if he doesn't slow down and start taking proper care of himself again._'

Speaking of which, it's feeding time at the zoo. I use my shoulder to push open the door, carefully balancing the goodie-laden tray in my hands.

"Donny-boy! Din-dins!" I call, fully expecting to get shot down.

"I'm not hungry," he grunts.

'_Neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer BOOM! Air Mikey crashes and burns again! Oh the turtleality!_'

"Come on bro," I say, trying again. "You gotta eat. And it's delish. Mm-mmm, casserole. Yummy."

He sighs. "Okay Mike. Could you just leave it there?"

"Sure thing Don. Just make sure that y'do eat it k?"

"Yeah," he says sighing AGAIN, "I will, just not right now."

'_Yeah, not like he's said THAT before. I'm starting to feel like an unapprecieated housewife. I'm still hotter than any housewife of course. Hmmm, I wonder if I'd suit one of those fifties dresses and hair curlers. No hair, but I'm sure I could improvise._'

A sudden of a cry of alarm, blows that mental image away. Something big must be goin down out there. Wonder what Raph's broken this time? I open the door, only to be hit in the face with a cloud of yellow smoke.

"What the sh- shell?" I'm coughing already and I can barely breathe. Not good. I give to my knees, feeling like I've just been hit in the head with a ton of bricks.

'_I hope we come out of this okay.'_

---Donatello---

As Mike collapses to the ground, unconcious, I pull my bandanna off my head and use it a breathing mask. Then on borrowed time, I send an email to April so that she won't be at risk when she and Casey get back.

**_Do not come here upon return. Attacked. We will contact if possible._**

_I just hope she gets it._

Even with my bandanna, I can feel the gas making me drowsy. Whatever compound they've used, it's a good one. As I feel my consciousness slipping away, I wonder idly if I'll ever find Amy.


	14. A Miracle?

A/N: I know what you're thinking. Well FINALLY! It seems every time I put a chapter up, I'm apologising for the delay. Probably because of the huge delay. In addition to the customary apology, I'd like to add a giant-sized thank you to anyone who hasn't thrown their hands up in dispair and given up on me.

* * *

---Donatello---

Slowly, my consciousness returns. So obviously it was JUST sleeping gas. I'm not really sure that's a good thing though, because it means that someone has plans for us. And plans that involve gassing aren't usually fun.

Leaving my eyes closed for the moment, I start to take stock of my environment. I appear to be strapped down to something, and strapped down very firmly. They've even taken the time to put each of my fingers in an individual strap. Not good. Whoever's got us, they clearly don't want us escaping, but they also knew it was us. Otherwise why would there only be six finger straps?

Moving onto sound, I can hear Mike quietly complaining about his head and Raph and Leo having a heated, but whispered argument. They're not even loud enough for me to make out any words. But of course that could just be that Mikey's being too loud. Under all that, there is a low electrical hum. Probably a security system.

I crack my eyes open slowly, squinting at the harsh light.

"Hey, Donny! You're finally awake!" Mike yells.

"Yeah," I reply, surprised at how gravely my voice sounds. "So what's the plan guys?"

Silence reigns for a moment, before Leo sighs. "I really don't know. We have no idea where we are, who's got us, or what's happened to Master Splinter."

"I think I saw him hightailing it outta there, but I could be wrong," Raph says quietly.

"And who knows what could have happened even if he did get out."

That is definitely a sobering thought. I'm almost glad that the door opens at that moment, cutting off any dwelling on that. At least, it sounds like the door; I can't exactly sit up and take a look for myself.

Not knowing who is holding us captive is making me more than a little nervous. If I at least had a known enemy, then I would have some idea of what they'd want.

"There you are my dear. Our enemies. Captive. Helpless. And about to pay for their crimes."

That sounds like… oh no.

A motor starts up somewhere, and the table I'm strapped to slowly tilts upright, allowing me to see the occupants of the room.

My suspicions of the voice are correct. The Shredder. The Shredder's got us. But who was he talking to?

Someone comes out from behind him. My brothers gasp in surprise, but I'm too shocked to make a sound. Amy.

"Amy! You all right?" Mikey calls.

"Why would you care, slime?" she responds, shooting Mike a look of pure loathing.

"Amy, babe? Don't you recognise me? It's Mike! Loveable old Mike!" 

Her look of loathing turns to one of barely contained hatred. "Master," she says through gritted teeth, "May I have your permission to withdraw? The mere sight of these monsters disgusts me."

Shredder nods, his eyes gloating.

"Amy!" I cry, unable to stop me voice from breaking. What have they done to her? As she leaves she turns and comes back to me. Fixing me with a glare of hatred, she spits full in my face, then leaves without a backwards glance.

In a daze, I see Shredder walk up to me. "She is mine now." He moves out of my field of vision for a moment, then returns carrying what looks like a scalpel. "And so are you."

He chuckles to himself, as if he just told a great joke. I vaguely hear my brothers calling out to me, but the only thing filling my mind as the vicious little tool descends towards me is the look that was on Amy's face.

* * *

---Amy---

Sometimes I really don't understand my Master. Why he would insist that I be the one to go and tend to those monsters' wounds is beyond me. He said it was so that I could learn to deal with my ordeal, but… I don't know.

Standing still for a moment in front of the cell door, I take a deep breath to prepare myself before entering. Hopefully they will all still be unconscious. Hopefully but not likely.

As I enter and take stock of the room – and the enemy's wounds, I realise that it's not all bad. At least I get to see them suffer. I shake myself mentally. I might as well get it over with; sooner is better than later.

I'll start with the leader.

I move over to him, and start disinfecting his wounds with the solution in the bottle I was given. That's all they're getting. Just to make sure that they don't get infections and die too soon. I'm severely tempted to hurt him on purpose, but then he'd probably wake up and I'd have to talk to him.

Finished with him, I move on the next. I manage to get through three of them without any of them waking up, so things are looking hopefull for me not having to talk to any of them.

Last but not least, Donatello. Then I can get out of here and have a long hot shower. Hopefully that'll let me scrub off the feeling of contamination, but I doubt it.

Just a minute into the procedure, he frowns. He's stirring.

Oh great. Just great. Fantastic in fact. Fan-freaking-tastic.

"Amy," he croaks.

I just ignore him. That's probably going to be easiest.

"Amy talk to me. What's going on?"

That does it. "I have nothing to say to you, not after what you did," I begin, jaw clenched, so angry I feel like I'm about to burst. "And you know very whell what's happening; you're paying for your crimes."

He looks surprised. "Crimes? What are you talking about?"

Why is he trying to pretend that he's innocent? Does he really think that I'm stupid enough to believe him?

"Well let's see… Kidnapping, threats, assault. And that's just to me."

"I- I don't understand!" he stammers.

"You don't understand?!" I hiss from between clenched teeth, "You have the gall to take me from my master, hold me ransom, beat me, and then – and **_then_** you lie about it! You're despicable!"

He just stares up at me, looking as if he's in shock. "What? Do you have nothing to say now? No more lies?"

His mouth opens as if to speak, but for a moment, no words come out. "He's brainwashed you," he whispers.

I roll my eyes. "What nonsense are you spouting now?"

"So you don't remember do you?" he begins. "Your fall down the manhole, how I found you and brought you home with me. How you came to stay with us. You're time with us. Training with Raph? Our trip above to see the stars? None of it?"

"What nonsense are you spouting now?" I bluster, privately thinking, _Why does he seem to be so sinscere? No one is that good of a liar, are they?_

He sighs and I look back at him. "That means you don't even know that I…" he trails off, smiling bitterly. "Of course you wouldn't. I never said anything after all."

Now I have **no** idea what he's referring to, but the look in his eyes is disturbing. There is such a longing there. I can't deal with this.

"I- I'm finished now," I stammer, unable to keep my voice steady. "I have to go."

Once outside, I lean against the closed cell door. While I'm relieved to be away from him, the distance has done little. Why would he say those things if they were truly lies? Down the hall, a guard is looking at me curiously, but I don't care. My life's foundation has been shaken. What if his words were the truth? What if I have been brainwashed.

What if my entire life as I know it is a lie?


	15. Cerebral Matter Under Duress

A/N: Yes it's late, yes it's short, yes I suck. Now we can all get on with our lives.

* * *

Donatello

"Hey, guys."

"Guys, wake up."

"Guys!" Why won't they wake up? I really wish I wasn't restrained or I could throw something at them. Oh how I wish I could throw something!

Then finally, a chorus of groans sprang up from around the room.

"Gnuhh, what?"

"It's about time. Amy was in here just now and I got to talk to her. I think I know what's happened to her. I think she's been brainwashed."

"Are you sure about that?"

Nice Leo. No I'm not sure, I just thought it would be funny. "Yes I'm sure. She kept talking about things that never happened, and not remembering things that did."

"And you're sure that wasn't just an act?"

_Just what does he mean by that?_ Luckily (or maybe not) Mikey cuts off my most likely scathing reply with, "Leo, you can't think that she was some sort of spy? This is Amy we're talking about!"

"I was just saying that it was a possibility. Not that I thought it was definitely the case."

Raph sniggers. "An people say I'm the thoughtless one."

"Anyway," Leo's slightly strained voice cuts through the sniggers of Raph and Mikey, "What are we going to do now? Can any of you move at all?"

"Not likely bro. I'm trussed up tighter than a subversive here."

Leo sounds confused as he asks, "What's a subversive?" and of course that sets off another round of laughs.

"You don't wanna know dude," Mikey manages to get out.

Leo's had enough. He snaps, "This is serious. We're being held captive, we could be killed at any time, we have no idea where Splinter is or even if he's okay and we have no idea how we're going to get out of here! So stop laughing and at least try to be helpful!"

At that, silence falls, leaving each of us to our thoughts.

Leonardo

_We've trained all our lives. We've worked so hard, and look what good it's done us. We were still ambushed in our own home. We were still captured. And now we can't even think of a way out of this._

_Maybe I'm being to hard on them... and maybe me too. But being hard means being able to be angry. And at least anger is better than fear. I can't let myself give into it. Fear for us, and for Master Splinter._

_I hope he's okay. I know that he can take care of himself, but he's not exactly young. Even though I know that he's a ninja master, I still worry about him because he's not just our sensei, he's also our aging father. I can't help but be a little paranoid, one day we will have to face life without him. I just don't want it to be now._

Raphael

_I hate ta admit it, but Leo's right. This is bad. Real bad. Unless we can get outta here, we're screwed._

_It sucks that we jus' seem ta keep on findin' ourselves in these kinda situations. Can't see why everyone's got it out for us. S'not like we've done anything wrong, but der's always someone try'na kill us. S'pose I should be grateful that we're not dead yet, but it's a little hard t'be thankful when everythin' hurts like it does righ' now. Not like I'm surprised that Shredder would get his jollies hurtin' us._

_Damn Shredder. One'a these days we're gonna get him and he is gonna pay fer everythin' he's done. I swear, if I eva get my hands on that jerk-off I'm gonna shove that stupid helmet o'his right up his ass!_

Michelangelo

_What I wouldn't give for our comfy couch and some serious R & R right now. This is the total pits. Why couldn't Shred-head be more like a Bond villain and set us in a hugely complicated and easily escapable trap and then just assume we're dead? Then we get to bust out easy, foil his dastardly plan at the last minute, have gorgeous girls drape themselves all over us, and everyone's happy!_

_Life might not work like that, but it __should__. If it did, then by now I'd have so many girls all over me that I wouldn't be able to move ...Not like that would matter._

_And speaking- well, thinking of girls, I wonder what'll become of Amy? Even if we get her out of here, can you reverse brainwashing? What if we can't get her out? Oh, man._

_... _

_Wonder if we're gonna get out of here alive._

Amy

I slowly creep down the corridor, dreading that I'll be caught at any moment, and silently warring with myself.

_I must be insane. Totally insane. If anyone finds out about this, I'd be better off dead._

A corner. I cautiously inch my face around it. Seeing no-one there either, I sigh quietly in relief. I wish my Master had given me instruction in ninjitsu.

_Is that who he really is, or was the turtle right? Are my memories nothing but lies? And why am I even doing this? This is totally crazy!_

Finally I come to by goal. Ignoring the sign warning of electrical danger, I go in.

There it is. The circuit box. All I have to do is switch it off, and they'll at least have a chance to get free. No one will ever have to know it was me.

_I don't even know if he's right or not, but I don't want to risk it. If they're innocent... _

_Oh, screw it. Here goes nothing._


	16. Never Give Up

A/N: Greetings and salutations again at last! Just thought I'd make a quick note with the customary apology for time delay between this chapter and the last. However, counter-custom, I actually have a valid reason. (Pauses for gasps of shock and/or horror.)

For a long time now, my laptop was our primary computer. And being one of those people the world knows as klutzes, I was always very careful when eating or drinking near it. So I nearly laughed at the irony (nearly) when while walking past it with a coffee on the way to the couch I tripped over and managed to give my laptop a lovely fragrant bathing. And it died.

I won't get into the issues with the insurance company that followed, needless to say - urg!

At any rate, I have only just managed to get a new computer (that I've had to pay for) and have my old hard drive salvaged. Luckily it was undamaged. I only fried the motherboard. Only - ha!

But again, now I actually have all my files back, I can actually do some more writing. Like this. Look! Actual words! Take that writer's block! Avast ye scurvy dog! Taste ye the fires of damnation!

Sorry bout that. Became a pirate for a bit there. Happens to the best of us at times. And me too of course.

* * *

*Donatello*

"Now I know things are looking bad right now..."

_Oh great. Give us a rousing speech mighty Leonardo._

I know I'm being petty. But who wouldn't in this kind of situation?

"But if we all keep our heads then I'm sure we can think of a way out of this." I don't know how he manages to be so optimistic, I really don't.

"Look Leo, y'can say all the pretty words ya like, it don't change that we're screwed here."

_Yeah, nice one Raph. Start a fight. That's just what we need right now._

And then everything is dark.

"Whoa! Where'd all the lights go?" Mikey exclaims.

Thunk. Thu-thunk. Thunk thu-thunk.

You know, right now the state of illumination - or lack thereof - is less important than the fact that I can MOVE! Performing a very quick assessment of my physical condition, I note that I seem to be in a relatively good state. Especially for someone who was strapped on a table for an extended period of time. Not to mention the myriad shallow cuts.

As I carefully move about, testing various muscle groups, I can hear my brothers using their own methods to work out the kinks. From Leo's even, drawn out breathing, it's pretty obvious he's running through a set of stretches. Raph is cracking just about every joint he has. And Mike...

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ah shell! My leg's gone to sleep!" Mike's hopping around and - what else - complaining.

With a low hum, the emergency lighting comes up, its dim red glow coming just in time for me to see Raph smacking Mikey upside the head.

"Ow! What was that for?" he complains, rubbing the back of his head.

Raph folds his arms, looking smug. "We got more important things ta think about than yer leg like, oh I dunno, gettin outta here? So stop yappin and start thinkin!"

"Aw, come on dude! My leg was all tingly and everything! It was really weird! C'mon Leo, aren't you meant to stop this kinda thing - dissention in the ranks - you bein' the leader and all?"

Leo palms his face, clearly exasperated. "Michaelangelo, right now I'd rather just hit you again. We really need to focus on how we're going to get out of here in one piece."

"Uh, technically," Mike cuts in, "We're already in four pieces." He grins, but upon seeing the look on Leonardo's face, the smile changes to a much more sheepish-looking version. "Shutting up."

Leo rolls his eyes. "Thank you," he sighs. "Now, I would wager that the alarm systems are probably deactivated, but we should still be cautious. Most likely there will be a lot of chaotic wandering going on out there and one slip up could end up being very costly." He begins to pace. "Of course, time is an issue too. Sooner or later someone is going to come and check on us, and then everybody is going to know that we're free. So although, it's not much of a plan, I say that we just try to get out as quickly and quietly as we can."

_Wait just a minute. He doesn't mean?.. _"You mean that we get out after we get Amy, right?"

He hesitates. Oh no. "I know this won't be easy for you to hear, but it would be too risky. For all we know, she would turn us in at the first opportunity at the moment."

"No way dude! We can't just leave her!" Mikey exclaims.

_At least someone's on my side. I've known Leo to be cold before, but this is insane!_

"Look Mike, I don't like this any more than you..."

_Yeah, right. That's completely obvious._

"...but if we take that risk, we'll probably end up getting captured again."

Michelangelo shifts uneasily. "Maybe. But I really, really, really don't like the idea of leaving her here."

"Not to mention the fact that it's highly unlikely that it was just a coincidence that the power got shut off. It must have been Amy. Some part of her remembers m- us, so she's given us the chance to escape. Do you really think she would turn on us after that?" _Wow, I'm amazed I managed to get that out in such a reasonable tone of voice. I didn't even shout._

Leo walks over to me, folding his arms as he comes. Mikey once dubbed that his 'big, bad, grumpy leader' pose. "We cannot take that risk! Right now Donatello, I don't care if you like it or not, but we have to leave her. But we won't leave you."

I snort. "What are you gonna do? Drag me? You know what Leo? You can go and f-"

Raph lays a hand on my shoulder. I didn't even hear him come up behind me. He leans in, and quietly tells me, "Thought I'd betta stop ya. You'd've regretted that later. We'll get 'er. And make 'em all pay fer it too."

I turn slowly, thinking that I often underestimate Raph, and he so often surprises me with his understanding. I don't reply with words, I only nod in recognition and thanks. "If you're so keen on going Leo, then let's go."

_"I'm so sorry Amy. But like Raph said, we're going to get you back. I'll get you back."_

I barely pay any attention as we make our way out, it's like my brain is running on automatic. Even when a group of foot ninjas come around a corner and nearly run straight into us. I fight, just like everyone else, using all the knowledge and skill our father taught us, but my mind is elsewhere. Some small, sarcastic part of me pipes up that I probably left gaping holes in my defences and didn't even notice, but even so, all I can think of is her.

*Michaelangelo*

Boy am I glad to be nearly home again. I was starting to wonder if we'd ever see it again. Not that we'll be here long o'course. As Leo has said - about fifty million, gazillion times - we're just stopping long enough to pack any supplies and weapons we can find, then we're off again.

Over the sound of the water splashing around our ankles, I hear Leo take a deep breath. What's the bet he says it again? "Now remember, we're only stopping to pick up what supplies we can find before we head off again."

Yup. Fifty million, gazillion and one.

Ah, home trashed home.

...Wait a minute, are those voices?

About half a second passes while I wonder, then apparently Leo hears it too and freezes. He signals for us to go quietly and moves off again, easing his feet into the water covering the ground so as to make as little noise as possible.

As we round the next corner I suddenly recognise one of the voices. Screw caution! That's Splinter! I dash off towards that fantastic sound, ignoring Leo's, "Damn it Mikey!" He probably hasn't realised who it is yet, but who cares - it's freakin Splinter! As I get closer, I start to hear actual words. Not just that - I also hear three surprised intakes of breath, all at nearly the same time, as my oh-so-slow brothers finally click.

"...but we must not linger, lest we are caught." It's him! It's him! It's really him!

"I know, I just feel like we're deserting them." ...And April too. Bonus! Didn't realise that she and Casey would have gotten back already. Not complaining a'course, just surprised.

I skid round the final corner and into our home. '_They're right there - uh-oh - gotta stop! Gotta stop!' _I very nearly run right into them, only just managing to stop at the last second.

Splinter drops a piece of paper, then cries, "Michaelangelo!" He looks around behind me as the others run up. "My boys! I had feared the worst."

For a while we all just mess about, hugging one another and generally being glad to see one another. And then April happens to just casually open her mouth and shove both feet right in there..

"So Donny," she says. "Tell me more about this Amy person you told me about while I was away."

Donny's face falls like someone just kicked the worlds biggest puppy. He mumbles something about getting something from his lab he can't leave behind and storms off, slamming the door behind him so hard it shakes the wall.

To say that April's shocked by this would be the greatest understatement of all time. "What'd I say?" she asks.

While everyone else just stands around looking uncomfortable, Mikey the valiant white knight swoops in to rescue the damsel in distress. "It's a long story April. One I don't think Don can handle right now. I'll tell ya later on I promise, but you'd better leave it for now."

_Besides, Donny-boy's not the only one smarting about all this right now. Wish we could've gotten her out._

*Amy*

"Kneel."

_Oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap I am in so much trouble._

I walk slowly towards my Master's seat and kneel, feeling like a condemned prisoner going to the headsman's block.

"Explain."

_Okay, stay cool. He doesn't necessarily know what you did. Stay cool._

"Explain what Master Shredder?" I ask as calmly as I can.

Apparently that wasn't what he wanted to hear. He bolts to his feet and bellows, "Explain the power shortage that allowed my enemies to escape!"

_Ah. Balls. Still he might not know that it was me. Worth a shot, anyway._

I can't help but flinch at his shout, he's a scary man sometimes, but then I shrug, still trying desperately to seem casual. "Shouldn't you be asking Stockman about that? I thought electrical maintenance was his department?"

_Please work. Please please pretty please._

Mentally I cross my fingers and hope he believes me. I try to keep on looking normal while he's glaring at me. I feel like we've been sitting here like this for at least two ice ages, but finally he looks away and I breathe a silent sigh of relief.

Still not looking back at me, he says, "After much thought, I have decided that the Foot Clan should leave New York for a while to gain strength. Go and tell the squad leaders they only have forty-eight hours to prepare them and their squads to leave for Japan. Now get out of my sight."

Gratefully I get up and hurry out of the room.

_Leaving New York? No wonder he's pissed. Better stay out from under his feet for a while. A million years might almost do it. I wonder what Japan is like?_

*Donatello*

I lean against the door. I know I shouldn't have slammed it but…

I'm going to get her back.

No matter how long it takes, I'm never going to stop looking for her.

I'll never give up.

I'm going to get her back.

* * *

A/N: Well there you go. That's the final chapter. We're not done here o'course, I've got a sequel planned. Possibly a series, not sure yet - that would require some major re-working of thingies. That's a writer's professional term there - thingies. Bet you didn't know that, huh?

Anywhoosle, I'll toddle off now.

Love, peace and chicken grease

Cheese Monkey


End file.
